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Theatre Superstitions

Did you check your calendar today? It's a very special day. Fear of Friday the 13th is a bona fide thing (it's called friggatriskaidekaphobia, fact fans) but hey, get over it. We bloody love it. So in honour of Friday 13ths past, present and future, we've taken a look at superstition in this wonderful world of ours: Theatre. Basically we're into it.

The Scottish Play

One of the most well-known theatre
superstitions surrounds Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. It's seen as bad luck to say the name of the play, which
is referred to as 'The Scottish Play' instead. The origins of this are unknown,
although there are several theories, ranging from the practical (the play
contains a large amount of swordplay, so injuries are more likely) to the fantastic
(the play was cursed by witches because it revealed their secrets). Some
theories have been debunked over the years; it was believed that the Globe
theatre was burned down during a performance of Macbeth, but in fact it was Henry VIII playing at the time, so we must
look elsewhere for our curses. For our money, the best origin story comes from
the very first production of Macbeth:
legend has it that their Lady Macbeth died during the run leaving
Shakespeare
himself to step up and assume the role of the fiend-like queen. Sadly
there is
no evidence to suggest this ever actually happened. Perhaps the most
likely reason is that, given the popularity of the play, it was often
staged by theatres that were in debt in a last ditch attempt to increase
patronage - this wasn't always successful, and the theatres would close
shortly after.

Peacock Feathers and the Evil Eye Curse

Take
thy beak from out my heart and get those feathers off my stage. The
peacock feather is said to represent an evil eye that will curse a
performance, and there are many stories of disasters befalling
productions that used peacock feathers as props or costume elements. The
Greek myth of Argus Panoptes, the 100-eyed giant, backs this one up:
according to mythology, he was a faithful watchman to Hera, the Queen of
the Gods. When her husband Zeus ordered his death, she preserved his
eyes in the tail of a peacock in tribute to him.

It's bad luck to say "Good Luck!"

Keep your well-wishes - curses and
misfortune are more gratefully received. The phrase "Break a leg!" has been customary
in English-speaking countries since the early 20th century, possibly
stemming from the term for side curtains on stage, which are known as 'legs',
and the notion that the performer must break through them to deliver a great
show or receive a curtain call. Alternatively, it could be referencing a wish
that the performance be so successful the actor would have to bend their knee
in a bow, or to pick up the coins that were sometimes thrown by appreciative
audiences.

Theatre types around the world have their own good luck
alternatives. Here are a few of our favourites.

Theatre Ghosts

Many theatres claim to be haunted and have their own
specific ghost stories... although that's another blog post altogether. A more
generic ghost-related superstition is that theatres be closed one night a week
(often a Monday) so the resident ghosts can perform their own shows.

Thespis of Icaria

One ghost who gets around a bit is that of Thespis of Icaria,
an ancient Greek writer and actor, credited as the inventor of tragedy
and
perhaps the art of acting as we know it today (the term 'thespian' is
derived from his
name). According to Aristotle, he was
the first person to portray a character on stage; theatre had previously
consisted of dithyrambs (choral performances sung or chanted in
unision) and any individual lines were delivered by storytellers
speaking as themselves. On 23 November, 534 BC, Thespis took to the
stage
as the god Dionysus, and any unexplainable mischief that befalls a
production
on this date is attributed to him.

Fun fact: Thespis won the first documented competiton to find the best tragedy at the City Dionysa in Athens. He also invented theatrical touring. What a guy.

Thespis used masks to differentiate between characters.

Ghost Lighting

Leaving a light burning in an empty theatre will ward off ghosts - or, as an alternative theory, will stop ghosts getting stroppy (and pranky) due to lack of vision. It is traditionally placed downstage centre and is fairly sensible as superstitions go; a lit theatre is much easier to navigate, so a ghost light stops the living coming to a sticky end while crossing a dark stage.

No Whistling Please, We're Actors

You know
how to whistle, don't you Steve? Well don't. The no whistling trope comes from
sailing ships, which have a similar rule: stage crews were once hired from
ships in port, and riggers used coded whistles to communicate. A whistling
actor would confuse them, scene changes would go tits up and someone would be out of a job.

Colour Me Lucky

Be careful with your costumes - there are some colours that are strictly off limits if you're the superstitious type. Blue should be avoided unless countered with silver, as blue dye was once very expensive and failing companies would clothe their company in blue in a bid to please the audience, often going bankrupt in the process. If the actors were also wearing real silver, however, they weren't just fronting; they had bare dollar. Green is also a no-go, likely a hangover from the days when performances would take place outdoors, and an actor in green became hard to distinguish from the surroundings. The French actor Molière also died mere hours after wearing green in a performance of his own play The Hypochondriac. Poor chap, I hope he appreciated the irony. But the off-stage area is referred to as the Green Room anyway, just to keep you on your toes. Finally, ditch the yellow garments: in the days of religious plays, yellow would be worn by the actor playing the devil.

Got all that? Then you're good to go. Oh, but don't use any real money on stage. And don't say the last line of the play during rehearsals. And whatever you do, don't practise your bows until the final dress rehearsal. Yeah, this could go on for a while.